Thrift Store Daisy

The flower that smiles to-day
          To-morrow dies;
All that we wish to stay
          Tempts and then flies.
What is this world's delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
          Brief even as bright.


from Mutability, by Percy Bysshe Shelley


When you travel the same way again and again you become familiar with certain sights even though you experience them only briefly. Some of these sights are more ephemeral than others, such as the morning sunlight on the mud flats at the head of the island, or the shadow of a chain link fence that falls on the sign of a company selling fishing gear, making it appear as if the lobster on the sign has crawled into a trap. These are brief phenomena seen only for seconds, but I have noticed them often enough they are readily called to mind.

Other things are more or less permanent, and I could theoretically pull over and examine them more closely any time, but just don't. Such as the chainsaw sculpture of an old fisherman, or even the wildly strange sculptures of fantastic beasts made of old propane canisters welded together, displayed on the property of a private residence along with a sign reading:

Work not for sale 
Stop at your own risk

Today's photo falls into the latter category. I pass this thrift store, with its colorful flowers painted on the outside, on the way to work. Today I finally pulled in to the parking area and snapped a picture while sitting in the car, before zooming away. 

Which is to say that I guess not all the world's delights have to be quite so brief, if we decide to take even just a little bit of extra time with them. 

Not quite as brief as lightning, anyway.